Batman: The Caped Crusader of Magnolia
by TehZach1993
Summary: Evil forces are planning to invade Fiore...from another dimension!
1. Chapter 1

Part 1 [Batman's PoV]

Arkham Asylum: When Gotham's justice system fails to do its job, the results are sent here. On a stormy night like this, the screams and wails are even worse than normal, that is, if anything about this place can be called anything close to normal.

As I walk down the dimly lit halls, with the levels of increasing insanity built upon each other cell after cell, floor after floor, they scream obscenities at me, death threats, or just plain old screaming until their lungs burn for air. This is what Gotham truly is, they should give tours of this place, that is they should if the more wily inmates didn't keep finding ways to break out. Arkham shows you what Gotham's heart is like, not any of the tourist attractions they try to prevent from being vandalized and destroyed almost as soon as the desperate folks who line their pockets with tourist money put them up. Arkham is Gotham's heart: Clotted with filth, giving the psychotics and criminal scum of Gotham a place to seek meager refuge to regroup and gather their thoughts until they can manage a daring escape attempt, and always pumping out more fresh blood due to new and inexperienced district attorneys being replaced all the time.

But if this is all true, then why do I always feel so at home here? Why does my blood rush for those first few seconds when I hear that the Joker, Two-Face, or Riddler have broken out of jail?

Lost in my thoughts, I realize I have arrived at my destination: A thick iron door with a small barred rectangle near the top, above the door, where the patient's name was usually listed, this one simply says: Identity Unknown.

The guard next to me carefully unlocks the door with his key, he opens it for me and I go in.  
I see him laying on his bed, everything but his face is illuminated by the flickering bulb outside the door, which the guard hastily closes behind me and locks. At first I think he is asleep, what kind of dreams could a madman like the Joker have after all the atrocities he's committed? Then, he hops up from the mattress and plants both his pale feet on the floor, hands on his knees, I see the bottom half of his face illuminated, he's smiling with those bright red lips of his, his eyes are still hidden in the darkness.

He speaks first, "Why Bats, what a pleasure, you've come to visit little old me in my dark gloomy cell! I'm touched really, and not just in the head like I've always been." He laughs wildly at his little joke, I don't smile.

"I came here for information, something is going to happen in Gotham soon, something big. All I know is that Bane has gone missing, he was last seen on a plane out of Gotham."

"So the so called 'World's Greatest Detective' needs MY help to solve one of Gotham's mysteries, haven't you considered the possibility that Bane is merely taking some time away from this rotten city?"

"I doubt it's that simple," I retort, "with your kind it never is."

Part 2 [Bane's PoV]

I have trekked days across the mountain ranges indicated on the map I received with the letter, inviting me to the sanctuary of an organization called the League of Assassins. The letter told me very little, saying that all would be revealed once I arrived at my destination. I have indeed heard of this secretive organization that works in the shadows and has ears and eyes everywhere. Their leader is rumored to hold to secret to eternal youth and life, let's just say that I want a piece.

At last, I reach a point where I can go no further, a cliff jutting out before me and a blinding flurry of snow covers what comes after.

Then the snow suddenly parts, revealing a large flat precipice far as the eye can see carved out of the rocks, and on this precipice is an enormous palace. Although there is no alternative to getting there other than risking death by leaping across the gap, this was undoubtedly intended to provide a test of the guest's mettle.

I have already removed the feeding tube mechanism that supplies my body with its fix of the steroid Venom. In these conditions, the tubes would freeze, so I have packed them and a supply of emergency injections into a heated duffel bag which contain the rest of my essentials. I have already had to use two injections on the way here, my dependence on Venom is growing stronger, and with it I am becoming less and less fearsome than I was in Peña Duro.

I take a running start, and jump…

…

..

….

I grasp at the stone of the precipice, slippery wet snow making it hard to grip, I can feel myself slipping into that dark abyss below.

I hang on and find a foothold in the rocky mountainside, I manage to pull myself up and recover my bag that I threw over.

I hear the loud creaking of a door opening, I look up to see a woman dressed in warm expensive attire approaching flanked by two guards carrying swords at their sides.

I stand up straight as she approaches, but doesn't come too close. "Welcome, you must be freezing. Please come in and dine with us, we shall discuss various arrangements over dinner." Her voice is calm, confident, she obviously has no fear of me.

I don't like it, "How do you know I don't come here as an enemy?"

She smirks, "Then I'll be more than happy to give the snipers who surround you at every angle the order to shoot."

I smile as well, though it is hidden under the mask I wear. "You take no chances, I'll take you up on your offer then." I give my bags to one of the guards and we enter the palace through the front gate.

Part 3 [Ra's Al Ghul's PoV]

He doesn't seem the least bit surprised when Talia brings him into the arena, and without a word I give my disciples the signal to attack. A few cuts and bruises, slashes here and there, but all in all he crushes them all, literally. This was even without his Venom mechanism pumping the steroid into his system, now we'll see how he fares against Talia without it.

Both she and Bane are unarmed, they are to use only their wits and skill in combat to achieve victory, the gong sounds and he rushes her, a reckless and stupid move. Talia gives him a swift kick to the face, the blood spews inside his mask from his broken nose, choking him.

She lands behind and taunts him, "Ha, this is the fearsome warrior who broke the Bat? He must've caught Wayne napping!" She laughs and doesn't notice he's dispatched the guard who was holding his Venom kit. A sniper next to me takes aim, I put my sword to his throat and whisper in his ear:

"My daughter must learn a lesson in underestimating her opponent."

By the time my foolish daughter has realized her mistake, Bane has already gotten a full dose of Venom in his system from the tubing hooked into the back of his head, his muscles become engorged and veins pop out of his skin.

Even then I know my daughter still has a chance to recover from her mistake, I see she tries to make a grab for the tubing at the back of Bane's mask, but the hulking brute grabs her ankle and smashes her to the tile, rendering her unconscious with this one move.

"I applaud you for defeating my daughter, and teaching her a valuable lesson. However, you have much to learn yourself Bane." My voice echoes from the balcony above the indoor arena, as a servant takes my green cloak and robes, leaving me bare-chested as I hand over my scimitar.

"What is there for me to learn? I have just defeated the most skilled the League of Assassin's has to offer have I not?"

I chuckle at the larger man's ignorance, "A bold claim, but Talia is not the leader of the League. That would be Ra's Al Ghul himself."

"Then where is this coward who lurks in the shadows? Why does he not come and face me himse-."

Before Bane can finish I have already made my first strike, swift as an eagle I break two of his ribs and send him crashing to the floor.

"As I said, there is still much for you to learn. Under me, as my pupil and eventual heir, you will overcome the limits that your addiction has placed on you. When I am through with you Bane, you will no longer need Venom."

Bane slowly stands up, obviously wary of being struck again, clearly never having been hit with such force from anyone but the detective.

"What must I do," Bane speaks as he touches the remote on his wrist, the swelling of his muscles going down as the flow of Venom stops, "…Sensei?"


	2. Chapter 2

Part 4 [Hugo Strange's PoV]

I receive a phone call sooner than expected; he tells me that the new student has been progressing exponentially in his training.

I tell him that is good to hear, and ask him should I prepare a demonstration. He tells me I shouldn't speak of such things over the phone, that his master would not be pleased if certain parties would acquire this information.

He hangs up, and I am left to ponder this as I listen to the sounds of the Arkham hallways.

So far there had been seven test runs, each of which the mysterious man from the phone calls had attended in his master's place. I tolerated the visits from Batman, even meeting him at the door with a smile. After all, what was he to me, a man who had forgiven and forgot all our past transgressions?

I could tell Batman didn't trust me in the least, it showed even through the cowl. It thrilled me to know he could do nothing against a man whom he had no evidence of wrongdoing, vigilante or not, he still had to operate within the laws of Gotham to some degree.

I look at the clock on my desk, it is time to check on my "other" patients. I take the elevator all the way to the asylum's basement floor, where the real work of Arkham is done. The secret experiments, the lobotomies, the shock therapy, it was all done here.

The secret patients were kept here, sometimes members of Blackgate would be 'borrowed' for experiments, they would be returned with scars and wounds and never say a word about where they had been or what had happened.

Sometimes they would never return to their cells at all, whispers of monsters and hulking deformed brutes lurking beneath Arkham were prominent among the staff, which I soon put a stop to by making a few problem gossipers disappear.

I switched on the lights, no one was down here tonight, I had requested I be alone with the newest addition to Arkham's family, she seemed to pose no threat at all. I only required some things from her, she doesn't seem like she would put up much of a fight.

I approached her, she appeared to be asleep, her arms were restrained to the wall, but not her legs. She wore a blue skirt with a belt that had a multitude of strange shaped and marked keys on it. She was a blond, with a white and blue sleeveless top.

She mumbled something and moved a bit, I got closer asking, "What was that?"

I didn't see her foot shooting up until the boot tip had buried itself in my crotch, and by then it was too late. I heard the young brat's voice mocking me, "I said, this makes the second creepy old man that's fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the book!"

I stumbled back, reaching into my labcoat and fumbling for my gun, I heard a voice behind me along with large heavy footsteps.

"That's quite enough doctor, wouldn't want to embarrass yourself any further." A voice came from the shadows of the room, out stepped the massive figure of Bane wearing his traditional red eyed mask, and a formal black suit.

"What are you doing here, run back along to your master and tell him I've got this under control." I said tucking the gun away into my labcoat just in case.

"Clearly you do. Now remove those restraints, let's see what a real mage is capable of."

I was shocked at the hulking brute's demand, but I approached her again. "Easy, be nice and maybe I won't throw you in with Croc."

"Who's Croc?" She asked.

"Oh he's one of the more dangerous of my patients, has a skin condition and filed his teeth and nails down to points, he also has a taste for human flesh." I got her shackles loose and she rubbed her sore wrists, she looked at Bane who stood before her.

Bane seemed amused by her, she put on a strong stance and reached for her keys, what exactly did she plan on doing with those?

Part 5: [Bane's PoV]

The silly little girl drew out one of her keys and said "Open Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" I was quite surprised when of all things a massive cow standing upright and wielding a twin bladed axe came rushing at me shouting "Nobody can have Lucy's body but me!" I dodged the clumsy swings of the axe, I wouldn't let myself be backed into a corner and decapitated by beef.

"So, mind telling me what you are?" I asked as I dodged again, that one cutting it a bit too close for comfort.

"I'm a celestial spirit, moo!" He replied.

"Ah, do you have a name?"

"Taurus, I will protect lady Lucy's perfect body! Moo!"

I smiled underneath the mask, "Great, now I know both your names." I caught the axe by the part just below the blades, it had fallen short of cleaving into my shoulder. Taurus struggled to move it from my grip, I tore it from his hands and threw it to the floor with ease. Ra's al Ghul's training had worked, I could increase my strength and power in an instant without the use of the Venom, my dependency on it was gone, I was free.

Taurus jerked back and unleashed a flurry of blows upon me, I admit I let him do it, just to allow him to think he was winning. Then he allowed me to get behind him with my knee in his back and his arms bending backwards at odd angles until I heard a loud crack and he half mooed half screamed.

The girl Lucy was screaming, "Taurus!" Now I have him in a stranglehold, ready to snap his neck, I look at her, and ask her the question that's been growing on my mind ever since he told me what he was.

"I wonder, can a celestial spirit die like the rest of us?"


	3. Chapter 3

Part 6: [Lucy's PoV]

I couldn't believe it, this guy was beating Taurus so savagely, and he didn't seem to have any magical powers! He was extremely fast and strong, able to catch the axe and tear it from Taurus' hands so easily. Now Taurus is on the ground, I heard the loud crack of bone, I'm screaming at him to get up and I can feel tears running down my cheeks. "Taurus, Taurus!"

I summon him back before the masked man can hurt him anymore; he appears to be ready to snap poor Taurus' neck.

A shadow falls over me, I feel something strong grip me forcefully by a wad of my hair and lift me up, I scream out, reaching for my keys, a large hand grabs my wrist, and I'm thrown to the hard cold floor like a rag doll.

A brilliant light shines throughout the room, when I open my eyes Loke is standing between the large man and me defiantly, he is wearing his usual celestial spirit outfit, and he has a look of extreme anger on his face.

I weakly stand up, I'm used to being knocked around when I travel with Natsu and Happy and the rest of the guild, so I'm not going to be put out of commission just yet. "Loke, are you sure about this? I mean, he defeated Taurus in a battle of strength without using magic!"

Loke keeps his steel gaze upon his opponent, "I'm not sure if this guy even has any magic, he's just really tough. Lucy, I want you to get out of here, try to find some landmarks that you recognize, to figure out where we are."

I hesitate, but I nod and run to the door, I expect at least one of them to come after me, they don't.

Part 7: [Loke's PoV]

I think I surprised him with my own strength, the way he surprised Taurus with his. I've managed to get in a number of good blows, but he's gotten in a few of his own to match those. In truth I'm buying time, for Lucy to escape, and find a guild mate or at least an ally of Fairy Tail, I won't have her die like Karen.

I began using regulus melee attacks in the midst of the fight; this surprised him even more, staggering him back a couple feet. I prepare to make the final move of the battle, the one that defeated Bickslow: Regulus Impact.

I gather my magic power, golden light filling the dark room, "I should warn you, that this will finish it."

Although I can't see past the mask the large man is wearing, I can tell he's smiling as he says, "How kind of you to warn your opponent of an incoming attack, but I'm afraid it will cost you."

I feel a mask being put over my mouth from behind; I start to struggle until I feel the gas flowing into my mouth and nose. The bright light around me begins to fade until it is no more; I see the ground rushing up to me. My glasses break into two pieces as my face hits the floor, the man in the lab coat, where did he go!? I feel a rib break as a boot tip buries itself in my side and flips me over onto my back. I stare up at the person standing over me in disbelief, the mangled corpse of the person I failed to protect. She stares into my eyes with a look of loathing, her name forms on my lips as tears begin to drip down my cheeks.

"K-Karen?"


End file.
